How an Indian CEO ran his first full marathon in a Swedish mine

Misra, 59 years old, was one of 55 participants from 18 countries. For him, the decision to run came after Hindustan Zinc became a member of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), a grouping of global mining companies committed to responsible practices. When ICMM decided to support the event, Misra felt it was important for his company to be present. “It would have meant very little for Hindustan Zinc to be there but not its CEO," he said in an interview. “If I could complete 42 kilometres underground, it would show the world what modern mines are actually like." Other CEOs in the race included honchos from Canadian Teck Resources and Boliden of Sweden, Misra said.

He had never run a full marathon before, though he had regularly run half-marathons with a best time of 2 hours, 30 minutes. Months earlier, he had been approached to consider an Ironman attempt. But the underground event arrived first. Between August and October, he trained as much as his schedule allowed — largely by running outdoors in Udaipur and Delhi, and occasionally simulating low-visibility conditions. The adjustment was less about claustrophobia and more about pacing. Misra is no stranger to underground mines; he began his career in 1990 in some of India’s more difficult coal mines in Dhanbad, including gassy deposits and low seams where workers crawled through four-metre spaces. “Working underground has never been a challenge for me. I can spend hours there without discomfort," he said.

A different kind of run

Still, the marathon posed new demands. The Garpenberg tunnel—it falls 180 km north west of Stockholm, a two-hour drive—required runners to complete 11 laps of 3.84 km each. That's about 50 metres more than the regular marathon distance of 42.195 km. Dug out at 1,118.56 metres, it's as deep as some mountains in the Aravali range are tall—the world's tallest tower Burj Khalifa stands at 826 metres.

Each Garpenberg lap included a steady, two-degree incline for nearly two km. Misra said the uphill stretch became noticeably harder after the third or fourth lap, with his thighs “just not allowing" him to run. His resistance training regimen involves light weights of around 7.5 kg. He wears “normal running shoes" and not Hoka, Brooks, On, and other pricey shoe brands that CXO-runners typically gravitate towards, even if their routine is walking a couple of kilometres. He does wear compression sleeves to ease the impact of running on the knees, though.

The darkness also narrowed his attention. “You can only see as far as your headlamp allows," he said. Unlike surface races, where crowds and scenery provide distraction, there was little to look at beyond the tunnel walls and the uneven gravel underfoot.

He relied on strict pacing and self-monitoring — conserving energy early, drinking water at planned intervals and rewarding himself with a protein gel every two laps.

He had never attempted a full marathon in training. His longest effort before the event was about 30 km. But he had completed two half-marathons in the two months before travelling, and a veteran British participant with more than 1,200 marathons behind him assured him that attempting a debut marathon here was “worth a try, but don’t compete with others".

Unchanged mining imagery

If Misra’s decision to run seemed unusual outside the industry, it made perfect sense within it. Mining in India remains heavily shaped by environmental clearances, social expectations, and regulatory scrutiny. Projects move through multiple layers of approvals—from forest and wildlife permissions to geological assessment, land acquisition, and community consultations. Delays can stretch into years. For companies, these uncertainties create operational and financial pressures that have little to do with geology or engineering.

Hindustan Zinc, like others, has had to navigate this landscape while maintaining production targets. Public perception adds another layer. Modern metal mines bear little resemblance to the grim imagery of the past, storied in movies like Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Kaala Pathar, yet those images persist. Misra points out that many Indians who comment on mining have never visited one. “The general perception is that mines are unsafe and hazardous," he said. “But our underground mines have air-conditioning, digitised control rooms, Wi-Fi, and imported equipment. You can do a video town hall one kilometre below the surface. Very few people know this."

He believes changing this perception is essential for the country’s future mineral requirements. India aspires to increase steel, aluminium, copper, and zinc production significantly in the coming decades, particularly to serve infrastructure and energy transition needs. Mining is central to that plan. Misra often emphazises that mining and agriculture are the only two primary industries—everything else is derived from them. Urban consumers, he says, rarely relate their everyday electronics, appliances or infrastructure with their mining dependency.

Events like the underground marathon—streamed globally and soon to appear in a documentary—offer an unusual way of drawing attention to modern mining environments. They also put the spotlight on international benchmarks of safety and technology, something Indian companies are increasingly keen to demonstrate.

Personal milestone, public glimpse

Inside the Garpenberg mine, Misra ran largely without reference to time or competitors. There were no spectators lining the walls, no music, no boards displaying splits. What he remembers most clearly are the alternating stretches of heat and the calculated relief of every downhill segment after the incline—the sound of his own breathing giving him company.

His family knew he was participating but not that he intended to attempt the full distance. “There was no point worrying them while I was thousands of kilometres away," he said. Even colleagues were divided between admiration and disbelief (chief operating officer Kishore Kumar S participated alongside his CEO but didn't complete the Garpenberg run, Misra said).

Within Hindustan Zinc, however, running has gradually become part of the company’s internal culture. In the six years he has led the firm, more than 250 employees have taken up half-marathons, and three Vedanta group companies now organize annual city runs. Misra is largely credited with starting the practice, though he insists the credit lies with those who continue the habit.